Random perspectives from an informed new music fan.

Tag Archives: Orchestral Music

Kenji Bunch (1973- ) is a musician whose name has made it to my personal orbit many times but this is my first encounter with his music and what an encounter it is! This two disc set comprises a full length ballet commissioned and performed by the Eugene (Oregon) Ballet.

Kenj Bunch

Bunch is an American composer who hails from Portland, Oregon the child of a Japanese mother and a Scottish father. He studied at Julliard and this is approximately the 18th CD release to contain his music (if I counted correctly). A prolific composer, one can find a decent listing of his compositions on his website. And he was a violist performing with the esteemed Portland Youth Philharmonic from 1986-1991/

There are at least two symphonies, numerous soloists and orchestra pieces as well as solo instrumental music. Though I’ve heard just snippets of his music aside from the disc under review here I think I can safely say that his style can be described as essentially tonal, even perhaps somewhat conservative, but the accessible qualities of his music do not translate into mediocrity. Quite the contrary, he is a very exciting composer and his style seems very well suited to an undertaking such as this ballet. Bunch appears to be a master of orchestral color and he uses it to great effect here.

The two discs comprise 23 tracks much like one would expect of most classical ballets. The individual movements are 3-10 minutes approximately and they correspond to specific scenes that tell the classic story of the classic Hans Christian Andersen story. No doubt cost is the barrier which precluded a DVD release which looks like it was a gorgeous production.

It is at least this writer’s impression that much of classical ballet music does not do well without the visuals of the dance. I am referring to 19th century models such as Coppelia whose music might be best performed in excerpted suites if dancers are not a part of the performance. Bunch’s ballet is more in the spirit of perhaps Prokofiev or Stravinsky wherein the music stands quite well on its own and even does a great job of evoking the images of the given scenes. Basically the music stands on its own as a narrative.

Orchestra NEXT is a training orchestra and resident ensemble with the Eugene Ballet Company. They handle this complex and musically challenging score with seeming ease under music director Brian McWhorter.

There is little doubt that those who were fortunate enough to see this fully staged production will appreciate the opportunity to relive their memories by hearing again the recorded score. But this will likely appeal to most fans of new music as well. It is a major work by a composer who deserves serious attention. This writer will certainly be listening.

Rain Worthington herself kindly sent this CD to me for review. There seems to be very little biographical information online about this very interesting composer. Her current credentials available on her website are impressive but there is little to be found on her training and influences. (Time to talk to the webmaster I suppose) This appears to be the first disc dedicated solely to her music and it is an great one.

There are seven tracks representing seven orchestral pieces dating from 2001 to 2012. Like the album title, all are given poetic titles which make no reference to musical structure. No doubt there are stories behind each of these but there is no information in the liner notes as to the inspirations or intended meanings of this music.

This reviewer is fond of detailed liner notes but their absence is hardly a hindrance to the appreciation of these little tone poems for various sized orchestras. There is a remarkable consistency of style here suggesting that this composer has a clearly established voice. Clearly Worthington is a master of orchestration as she wields complex orchestral pallets where dissonance as well as orchestration contribute to the color in a basically tonal framework.

The music here is about motive and gesture rather than melody per se. Perhaps that is a “minimalist” method but the impression to this listener suggests influences as diverse as Claude Debussy, Jacob Druckman, Daniel Asia, Toru Takemitsu, and Anton Bruckner. This is beautiful though not “pretty” music with complex emotional content that leans in somber, wistful, sometimes haunting, and even nostalgic directions much as an impressionist painting.

The lovely cover photograph, a time exposure of a night scene with a blurring of stars over a lake, works as a metaphor for the album’s content.

Three orchestras (none of them American) under three different conductors are employed in this very satisfying release. Multiple listenings will definitely contribute new layers of understanding for the listener. This listener found that initial impressions of seemingly simple, pretty romantic/impressionistic leanings give way to things deeper and perhaps even disturbing.

One of the conductors, Robert Ian Winstin (1959-2010) was an American composer and conductor (whose compositional efforts deserve some serious review) is at the helm of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra on two tracks. Petr Vronsky leads the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra on four tracks and Ovidiu Marinescu leads the Russian Philharmonic on one track. It is amazing how well these orchestras handle the challenges here. These are some excellent musicians.

Kudos to producer Bob Lord for his bold choice in releasing this disc. Hopefully we will soon be seeing more of this composer’s work in the near future. My thanks to Ms. Worthington for sending this my way.

Kristjan Järvi (1972- ) is the youngest son of justly famed conductor Neeme Järvi. He is also a frequent collaborator with the talented and ubiquitous Gene Pritsker among others. This double CD represents a portion of his concerts in celebration of Reich’s 80th birthday. There are apparently recordings available on the streaming service Medici TV of several other Reich works including the Three Movements for Orchestra (1983) and Desert Music (1986). All these stemmed from a residency (2013-2014) that Reich enjoyed with the MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony and Chorus.

This 80th birthday tribute gives us yet another opportunity to hear another generation (other than Reich’s) interpreting this music. For years only Reich and his ensemble had access to his scores but this is not the case with his orchestral and choral works. Some may still consider Reich to be a difficult or experimental composer and this has limited the programming (and no doubt the commissioning) of music for such larger ensembles. It is delightful to hear how other musicians respond to and interpret Reich’s music.

In fact Reich’s music for larger ensembles is definitely worth hearing and hearing in different interpretations. This set gives us the world premieres of beefed up orchestrations of You Are and Daniel Variations. This writer looks forward to the orchestral version of Tehillim (1981) as well.

This handsome two disc set includes the early Clapping Music (1971), Duet (1993), The Four Sections (1987), You Are Variations (2004), and Daniel Variations (2006). It is not a greatest hits compilation. Rather it is a personal survey by a wonderful young musician. Kristian Järvi is a conductor, composer and new music raconteur who is at the beginnings of a very promising career. This album is a love song if you will. Järvi clearly understands and loves this music and the opportunity to record these works, especially perhaps the intimate Clapping Music with the participation of the composer.

The Four Sections is tantamount to being a concerto for orchestra and is among this reviewer’s favorites among Reich’s works. It has received too few performances and to date only two recordings. This is the first live recording and gives insight into the amazing competence of both conductor and orchestra. The 1993 Duet for Two Violins and String Orchestra is Reich’s homage to a musician of a generation preceding his, the wonderful violinist, conductor, and pedagogue, Yehudi Menuhin on his 80th birthday. Soloists Andreas Hartmann and Waltraut Wachter handle this all too brief piece with skill and insight.

The second disc contains studio recordings of the large orchestra versions of two very personal works. These recordings alone are adequate reason to purchase this set. Reich has gained much from tapping his Jewish heritage (musical, linguistic, and literary) in service of his art. Both of these pieces feature texts from a variety of sources including the Bible, Hasidic aphorisms, the writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein among others. In both works the texts determine to some degree the rhythmic choices of the music.

You Are Variations is a four movement orchestral/choral work which sets a different aphorism in each movement. It is among the composer’s more personal works and includes quotations from Wittgenstein (the subject of Reich’s undergraduate studies) along with Biblical and Talmudic texts in a beautiful existential meditation.

Daniel Variations is a powerful overtly political work written in response to the tragic murder of journalist Daniel Pearl who was beheaded by extremists in Pakistan in 2002. It is a deeply felt and very pained work which expresses the tragedy and creatively makes a link with the Book of Daniel as well as Pearl’s own words. Reich is no stranger to political protest on his music and this is among his finest in that genre.

If you don’t know Reich’s music this is not a bad place to start. If you are already a fan (as I’ve been for years) you will want this set to round out your collection.

The spirit of jazz and, in particular, that of Duke Ellington and perhaps George Gershwin seem ever present in this recent release from the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. David Rakowski (1958- ) is a new voice to these ears but clearly a highly developed one well schooled in writing for large orchestra and for piano solo within that context as well.

Two works are presented here, the four movement Stolen Moments (2008/2010) and Piano Concerto No.2 (2011). Both are large, colorful works in a basically tonal/romantic context but with clear modernist influence. Nothing experimental here, just sumptuous orchestral writing and a challenging and interesting work for piano and orchestra. It was only from reading the useful liner notes that I learned Rakowski had been a student of Milton Babbitt (1916-2011), a composer famous for his hard nosed complexity. In fact Rakowski actually quotes from Babbitt and this music is a tribute to the education received from this man (keep in mind that Babbitt also taught harmony to Stephen Sondheim).

It is as difficult to grasp that Rakowski was taught by Babbitt as it is to believe that, by his own assertion, he knows very little about jazz. The first work seems to channel the spirits of Duke Ellington and George Gershwin more than Babbitt for sure. This four movement orchestral suite, in it’s many moods, is melodic, jazzy and engaging in a way that can’t fail to entertain.

Amy Briggs (image from the artist’s web site)

Amy Briggs has long been a collaborator with Rakowski and is an artist who has successfully made her career exclusively playing contemporary music. This second of Rakowski’s concertos for this instrument was written for her and she plays it magnificently. She clearly has a feel for the jazz rhythms and handles the virtuosic writing as though it were second nature.

The concerto ventures into a variety of moods and provides ample opportunities for many BMOP soloists to have their moments. It is basically a classical three movement structure with multiple subdivisions within each movement. These large movements come in at nearly 15 minutes each and are practically works unto themselves though they clearly adhere to the same basic vision. The second movement is dedicated in memory of Rakowski’s teacher Milton Babbitt. I’m sure he would have approved.

This is in fact the second time that Gil Rose and his massively talented musicians have chosen to survey some of Rakowski’s music. That alone should be enough to clue listeners in to a potentially good listen. Rose has been amassing a catalog of music by modern composers whose work deserves attention and, while this is an example of some pretty recent music, Rose and BMOP have done a fine job of giving attention to composers who have been unjustly neglected as well. They seem to have a fine ear for quality music and this reviewer will listen to anything they choose to record.

As usual with BMOP, the recording is bright and lucid allowing the listener to hear the fantastic details in these big and intricate but entertaining works. The production is by Gil Rose himself with recording and post-production by Joel Gordon. Another great volume in the growing BMOP canon.